Lisa Buckley resigns as head women’s soccer coach

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Dec. 2, 2020) – Lisa Buckley announced Wednesday her resignation as head coach of the Milligan University women's soccer program. Buckley played for Milligan and graduated in 2004 before becoming head coach in 2008. This fall, she completed her 13th season at the helm of the Milligan women's soccer program.

"Coach Buckley has done a fantastic job during her time here," said Mark Fox, Milligan vice president for athletics and student development. "I appreciate the way she has built the program, one that represents Milligan University's mission and values while also fielding very competitive and winning teams. Her players are also great students who are active on campus in a variety of ways. All those things are reflective of the way she ran her program. We thank her and wish her the best in her future endeavors."

In her 13 seasons as Milligan's head coach, Buckley coached 51 Appalachian Athletic Conference All-Conference selections, including 18 first team selections. Additionally, she coached one AAC Defensive Player of the Year, one AAC Offensive Player of the Year and two United Soccer Coaches NAIA All-East Region selections during her time at Milligan.

"I'd like to thank Mark Fox and (former Milligan president) Dr. Don Jeanes for giving me the opportunity to be head coach at Milligan," Buckley said. "I would also like to thank my family for their unwavering love and support over the past 14 years. I have been fortunate enough to work alongside some great coaches who have often felt more like family than colleagues. Milligan will always hold a special place in my heart, and being a part of the Buff nation was truly my honor."

The 2019 season saw Buckley record her 100th coaching victory with a 4-0 win over Kentucky Christian University on Oct. 23. Buckley finished her Milligan coaching career with a record of 108-94-23. She won the 2010 AAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Buffaloes to the AAC regular season title and postseason tournament championship match.

Buckley's winningest seasons as Milligan's head coach all came in the last three completed seasons as the program combined to win 35 games from 2017 to 2019. Her team also won 26 AAC games during this same stretch, including a program-best 10 AAC wins in 2019.

A 2004 graduate of Milligan, Buckley played four years for the Buffaloes, competing on three straight AAC championship-winning teams. In 2001, Buckley and the Buffs won the NAIA Region XII championship on the way to qualifying for the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship.